Midnight Tryst
by Jagged Pieces
Summary: During downtime, in between sorties, what goes on with three members of Squad 13?


**Some may label this as NTR (netorare), for me it's more about voyeurism. Either way, you should know now what's coming. This fic is meant to be taken lightly, not soliloquy fodder.**

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His stomach grumbled again, and Futoshi knew he had to eat something or he'll lie awake until morning.

He had been raiding the kitchen for a secret midnight snack, unbeknownst to his squadmates for quite some time now.

Grunting, but with a twinge of excitement as well, he climbed down from the upper bunk, careful not to wake up his roommates. Except there's only Zorome, Mitsuru was conspicuously absent in his bed. Thinking nothing of it, Futoshi headed down to the kitchen, already envisioning the various palatal delights he'd soon be enjoying.

He had just finished off his third chicken leg, courtesy of that day's leftovers, when he spied Mitsuru walking out of the hallway that led to the rooms of the previous squad. Shrugging his shoulders, Futoshi ignored him and indulged in the pantry until his round stomach was nicely filled and content. Washing off his face and hands, he poked his head out of the kitchen, warily checking if he's alone. Then he quietly returned to the bedroom to find Mitsuru waiting for him.

"Where were you just now?" He asked.

"Had to take a leak," Futoshi lied, not wanting to admit he'd been stealing food from the pantry. "Why?"

"Nothing."

Mitsuru appeared to relax though Futoshi couldn't be sure, the other boy has a damned stoic expression all the time that was hard to read.

"By the way, I saw a trail of ants crawling over your headboard, might want to check your bed before you sleep," Mitsuru warned him as he quietly lay down.

Futoshi gave a shout of dismay and pulled his pillows off the bed. Sure enough, the baguette and buns he'd been hiding under the pillows now had ants feasting on them.

"You little bastards!" Futoshi groaned, then nearly wept at his ruined stash. "My beauties. My precious delights!"

"Geez, for the love of Papa, cut the crap and shut up!" Zorome suddenly complained. "Some people here actually need some sleep, you know?"

"It's an emergency!" Futoshi whined.

"It's just ants, go ahead and eat them, you'll live. Just shut up!" Zorome grumbled without sympathy as he turned to his side facing the wall.

In the small commotion of the ants and his ruined bread, Futoshi forgot to ask Mitsuru what he'd been doing in the darkened hallway. First Kokoro-chan, and now Mitsuru too?

Futoshi wasn't really interested in the other boy though. Mitsuru could go vanish in the middle of the night as much as he wants. But Kokoro-chan was a different matter. He wanted to know what she'd been doing down there in those taped-off rooms.

He couldn't find the right opportunity to broach the topic, especially when he noticed that it was becoming a common occurrence. She would slip away after lunch, and would only show up during the evening when everyone gathered at the lounge area to discuss stuff.

It was then that Futoshi had finally thought of a brilliant plan.

The boarding house had a small workshed at the side with some tools. After some digging around inside the sweltering heat of the hut that left him dusty and sweaty, Futoshi found what he needed—a manual wood drill.

Over the next few days, he had bored holes in the floor of the empty bedrooms on the second floor, hoping to locate the one where Kokoro was visiting below. After countless, fruitless tries, he was beginning to fear that the right room was the one Hiro and Goro occupied, or the very same one he and the other two boys slept in. But then, he finally found the right room, it was the very last one in the hallway. He drilled more holes in various points to afford him more view of the room below.

And just like that, it has become his favorite past time in the afternoon. He'd wait for his Kokoro-chan to walk out of the boarding house, then he would quietly slip into his secret room above hers. She would take care of her flowers first, and then walk back to the room where she'd stay and sew what looked like a doll.

Futoshi thought it was cute. Everything Kokoro-chan did was cute. He began to bring snacks with him, there was nothing as pleasurable for Futoshi than watching her daily activities while stuffing his mouth with bagels or his favorite Swiss rolls. But then one afternoon, he almost choked on a baguette by an unexpected sight.

She came to the room as usual, but she wasn't alone. Mitsuru was with her. She was showing him the doll, holding it up for his inspection. Mitsuru didn't appear to be too interested. That bastard. How dare he snub Kokoro-chan's efforts! Didn't he know how much time she had put into crafting it?

But of course not. Nobody else knows his Kokoro-chan as he, Futoshi does. His chest puffed up with pride. No one knows the little things she does in the afternoon, not the boring stuff she does in the greenhouse, but how she'd lie down reading some pink and yellow book he couldn't see the title of. No one knew how she'd suddenly rub herself between her legs and touch her chest.

Oh, those were his favorite days. It was like he was seeing a secret side of her only he's aware of.

But this afternoon, she wasn't alone. Futoshi hated that another boy had been invited to her private space when he hadn't been offered the same.

Kokoro held up the small pink book and said something Futoshi couldn't hear. Next time, he'll have to bring an empty drinking glass with him, one with a wide rim.

Mitsuru picked up the book and leafed through it, frowning slightly as he read a few pages. His face suddenly flushed red as if embarrassed. Well, that's a first. Futoshi thought. He'd never seen Mitsuru flustered, ever!

But then Mitsuru dropped the book on the bed and held Kokoro-chan's face with both hands. He said something to her, but she only smiled, her face lifted up to his.

And then he saw something that had Futoshi gripping the chest of his uniform. Mitsuru pressed his lips against Kokoro-chan's, a sight he'd never seen before.

It looked like they were eating each other's mouths! Only...only the sight was doing things to his insides, it was making him hungry. No that wasn't it. It just felt...funny. Like a small fire was lit inside his stomach. No, somewhere below it.

And then anger came. How dare Mitsuru taste his Kokoro-chan like that, like she was some rare treat only he gets to eat?

He really must have a serious talk with Kokoro-chan. He's her partner, shouldn't she be doing these things with him, not another Stamen?

Mitsuru licked her parted lips as if savoring her flavor, inviting her to do the same, and Futoshi nearly stomped his hands in outrage at the sight of the tip of her small, pink tongue shyly flicking out to touch the other boy's lips. She's tasting him! Him! Another boy! Not her own partner! This was simply not acceptable.

Then a reprieve, Futoshi breathed a little easier as the two below him stopped what they were doing and simply looked at each other. Mitsuru brushed Kokoro-chan's hair as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him before reaching up on tiptoes to brush her lips against his. The contact had been brief, but it was enough for molten rage to replace Futoshi's blood in his veins. How dare they? How dare they do this to him?

Impotent rage filled him and he may have slapped his fists against the floor which only hurt no one but himself, as the two below continued their mouth-eating activity.

Just then, Mitsuru jerked back a little, and then pulled out his communicator from his pocket. He appeared to be talking to someone, then quickly ended the call. He reached out to touch Kokoro-chan's face, telling her something, she only nodded her head and then left the room with him.

It took longer for Futoshi to respond, he was still kneeling at the floor, still looking down the hole at the now empty room. Still in shock, still questioning his reality.

Eventually, he got up and exited the room. He must deal with this soon or he will go crazy.

Except he can't confront them about it. What was he to tell them, that he had been observing Kokoro-chan all this time?

Futoshi didn't think that he was doing anything wrong, after all, all he did was just look. He didn't invade her personal space or disrupt her regular activities. In fact, he's only just looking out for her, making sure she's alright and not hiding anything from him.

But he also sensed that Kokoro-chan or worse, Mitsuru, will not be pleased if either of them found out what he's been doing.

And yet, he considered it a good thing he had taken the initiative, otherwise, no one would have known of her secret meeting with Mitsuru. What would Ikuno think of all this? Surely she'd be as outraged as he was, her partner was more interested in someone else's Pistil, and moreover, Mitsuru appeared kinder, nicer with Kokoro-chan than he was with anyone else even his own partner.

But as was the case with his Kokoro-chan and Mitsuru, Futoshi just can't divulge all this information without giving away his afternoon pastime.

It wasn't until several nights later, when things finally clicked in place for him. Mitsuru's midnight escapades. Was he secretly meeting Kokoro-chan?

No, surely he's mistaken, Kokoro-chan wouldn't do that to him. She's a nice, gentle girl, just trying to make Mitsuru more sociable. That must be it. Surely he's just reading too much into it.

And yet the fear kept gnawing at him. Not knowing what's truly going on was eating him alive.

Futoshi tried to catch them in the act. But each time he waited, Mitsuru stayed in his bed. Or Futoshi fell asleep before he could catch Mitsuru slipping off. Their afternoon meeting had been only that one time.

Filled with impotent anger and frustration, Futoshi could only think of one thing to keep his Kokoro-chan with him.

Soon after, they got details of their next mission, sentry duty. They were given little else about what they were supposed to be guarding. Simply called S-Planning, which appeared to be a mining facility.

The morning had been quiet and dull so far, this was just the right opportunity he had been waiting for, praise be the gods of milk and honey.

"The fact that they have entrusted us this important mission shows how much stronger we've got." Futoshi began as they sat inside the control cabin. He would have preferred talking to his Kokoro-chan while they were synced with Genista, it felt kinda more intimate that way.

But Kokoro-chan would disconnect at every given opportunity. It must be pretty taxing on her, Futoshi silently reasoned to himself, although he had noticed that the other girls don't seem to mind chatting while staying synced with their partners.

"It's entirely because of you." Kokoro said, "You've worked so hard to carry all my burden."

 _Ah the praise, the sweet words, yes give me more. Bet she never says those things to Mitsuru_. Futoshi thought, his chest puffing with pride. "Well of course, if anything were to happen to you, it would be my responsibility."

"Thanks, Futoshi-kun," she said with a smile that made his heart melt into goo.

"Um, you know...I've been thinking," Futoshi felt his pudgy cheeks heat up, but oh boy, he's not backing down. Not from this. It's too important. "I'm going to continue working to be the best partner you could possibly ever have...so...so, WILL YOU PROMISE TO BE MY PARTNER FOREVER!?"

 _There! I've said it! Good work Futoshi!_ He mentally patted himself.

His Kokoro-chan looked a bit stunned, had he spoken too loudly? Did he scare her with his voice? Maybe he should try again?

"Of course. I promise," she said in her usual quiet voice.

 _Oh wow, this wasn't so hard after all. Take that Mitsuru!_ Futoshi could almost swear that if his chest swelled even more, it would burst from all the happiness he could barely contain inside.

Apparently, Mitsuru must have taken it so bad that it affected Chlorophytum's sync. They could only hear Ikuno's urgent calls for assistance through the communication screen as their FRANXX collapsed on its knees.

Genista's sync fluctuated as well, drawing Futoshi's attention back to his Kokoro-chan, she didn't say a word, but he knew all the same that she's worried for the other Stamen.

But so what? She had promised to be his partner forever. Mitsuru could go eat shit.

It happened again two nights later. Mitsuru had been slipping out of the room again. Futoshi found out too late as he woke up just as Mitsuru had returned from his midnight tryst. So he wasn't able to confirm where he'd been. More importantly, with _whom_ he'd been.

Mitsuru hadn't visited Kokoro-chan's private room since their special mission. Futoshi had been elated at first, thinking he'd driven off the other boy. But now, much to his dismay, he realized that could be mistaken. Had they been secretly meeting at night instead? That would make sense since the others were bound to notice their absence if they kept it up during the daytime.

Last night Futoshi had fallen asleep and missed his chance. This time, he's making sure he stayed awake.

Futoshi lay on his upper bunk and pretended to snore. He wasn't sure if he's making a convincing job of it but Mitsuru would know he's still awake if he didn't start snoring.

After what felt like hours, the bedroom door quietly slid open.

 _Damn_ , Futoshi thought to himself. _He moves so quietly, like a cat._ But there was no mistaking it, Mitsuru has slipped off, heading to his secret meeting. There's one way to find out if Futoshi was right all along.

Trying to make little noise as possible, Futoshi climbed down the bunk, he really should switch places with Zorome, it was getting harder to climb up and down, his stomach was getting in the way. The last time he had to climb up, he had to press his stomach against the edge of the bed which compressed the air from his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

His other roommate Zorome lay sprawled in his own bed, the covers twisted in wild disarray among his limbs. He slept with his mouth open, a sight that Miku, his partner, would no doubt love to capture with her communicator. He was such a heavy sleeper, he was completely unaware of what's been going on.

Still cautious, Futoshi tiptoed towards the door, but not for long, his massive weight threatened to dislocate his toes if he kept on walking in that manner. Good thing the door wasn't too far off. He pressed his ear against the wood, making sure that Mitsuru was long gone in the hallway outside. Hearing nothing but his own heartbeat, Futoshi carefully opened the door and poked his head out tentatively. The coast was clear.

He moved quickly but quietly, having done this before when he needed a little snack from the kitchen. But instead of heading downstairs where he thought Mitsuru would have gone, Futoshi walked past a series of empty bedroom doors until he arrived at his destination. The room above Kokoro-chan's private little world.

This time he came equipped with an empty drinking glass. Futoshi wasn't sure it would help him listen in but it doesn't hurt to try.

Futoshi went on all fours down the wooden floor, and slowly lowered his head to the hole he'd drilled. He saw the desk where Kokoro-chan would sit and read her books or sew things. But she wasn't there.

The tightness in his chest began to ease. Looked like he's wrong about this, after all. His Kokoro-chan wasn't really secretly meeting with someone else behind his back, he was just being too paranoid.

But he had to be sure. Looking back, in retrospect of this moment, Futoshi would forever wonder how things would have been if he had been content with that initial assessment, instead of pursuing the other boreholes he'd made in the floor.

Yet curiosity has always been man's downfall. The unknown, the what-ifs, the mystery waiting just at the tips of his fingers, waiting to be discovered, to be exposed. The lure of the forbidden, the taboo, to go where others have faltered...

And just like that, he was crawling towards the next hole on the floor. Hoping against hope that his findings would be the same, an empty room.

The second hole was above the bunk beds, this was where Kokoro-chan would sit at the bottom bed to play with her doll. But still no sign of her.

Futoshi would have been content then, knowing that he'd been wrong about Kokoro-chan, but then his eyes caught the shifting of shadows just at the edge of vision afforded by the hole. Holding his breath, praying he was only seeing things, Futoshi waited, sweat beading down his forehead, both from the exertion of carrying his weight with his arms against the floor, and the sudden fear in his heart.

Then it happened again, the shifting shadows of something moving inside the room. But it was impossible to guess what it was without seeing a more distinct shape or pattern.

Futoshi moved to the third hole at the corner, this one should be showing the single bed on the other corner. Slowly, almost fearfully, he lowered his head and peered in.

He saw the foot of the bed, but it wasn't empty. His heart sank to his stomach.

There were two pairs of feet, bare, without shoes or socks. One pair was larger, obviously a boy's size, the other was smaller, more delicate, the feet of a girl. Futoshi could see nothing but their entangled legs, which were positioned strangely, his larger legs were framed in the middle by her smaller ones at the side. How is that possible?

Then as Futoshi watched, Mitsuru slowly knelt on the bed, his hand rubbing along the shin of her left leg. At least he'd confirmed the identity of one of them. He still refused to believe Kokoro-chan was with him, until Futoshi had seen her with his own eyes, he will give her the benefit of the doubt.

Wait, is Mitsuru naked? Futoshi couldn't be sure as the other boy went out of view again, only his legs were visible which were definitely bare and Kokoro-chan's smaller feet.

Futoshi could almost swear he heard a small scream coming from below. Grabbing his glass he turned it upside down, the rim facing the floor and pressed his ear on its bottom.

He can hear their voices alright, but the sounds were too garbled to make out what they were saying.

The only thing distinct was the steady, almost rhythmic banging sounds. Futoshi wondered what could possibly be making those noise, then peered into the hole again. The bed below was shaking from the movements of its occupants.

Frustrated and entirely dissatisfied but powerless to do anything, Futoshi decided he will have to drill another hole tomorrow so he could get a better view. It's too risky to do it right now, he could get caught or they could get suspicious.

And then what will he do if his fears had been confirmed? After all, Kokoro-chan already promised to be his partner forever, shouldn't he be the one she's spending her nights with?

Yes, he'll have to tell her the error of her ways, soon, and without divulging about his secret observations.


End file.
